Arsenic and Old Lace

The Tarbert Theatre Players returned for another well received play named Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesserling in Tarbert Community Centre. This play was brought to life by some well known faces like Yvonne O Keeffe Fox, PJ Normile, Shane Wall and Cormac Wall they were joined this year by a newcomer in Jerry Scanlon who looked very comfortable in his Tarbert Theatre Players debut.

This play is dark with real moments of hilarity where you have a family namely the Brewster’s who seem hell bent on wiping out a certain generation of people with a well tested game plan where they offer the unsuspecting guest a drink and within minutes they have clocked up another unfortunate victim.

You see the daily toils of each family member and we see the development of the on/off relationship between Mortimer Brewster and Elaine Brewster played by the fantastically matched duo Tom Stack and Mag O Donnell. It really is a will they / won’t they saga.

Jerry Scanlon certainly comes into his own and the rather dim and unfortunate Teddy Brewster who is somehow convinced he is Theodore Roosevelt and he is the President of the USA in the 40s at a time when Hitler was at his peak. This part was smartly cast and Jerry did very well in portraying this character.

Helen Enright and Danielle Considine did a fine job as Police Officers Brophy and Klein as did Cormac Wall who played a fortunate house guest of the Brewster sisters Abby and Martha and then pulled on his officer gear to play Officer O Hara.

Shane Wall and PJ Normile provided laughter and danger in equal measure as Dr Einstein (No not that Einstein) and Jonathan Brewster. Both men certainly used their own friendship to help bring these two slightly twisted characters to life.

John Dowling and Padraig O Connor played Lieutenant Rooney and Mr Witherspoon the local Superintendant and you also had Jerry O Connell playing The Reverend Dr Harper who again drew on family connections to help him as the softly spoken Reverend Dr Harper.

A word for the sisters from hell namely Abbey and Martha Brewster played by Yvonne O Keeffe Fox and Maureen Considine. These are two women you wouldn’t leave your worst enemy with. They are well versed in how to kill you off and bury the evidence as well. It’s one house this author would not enter in a hurry…

Well done to all the cast and crew for putting on two great nights in Tarbert Community Centre. It will be interesting to see what 2020 will bring for Tarbert Theatre Players….

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I have worked in Community Radio for the last 5 years as part of a sports team - I am the main rugby correspondent. My ultimate aim is to become a leading sport journalist/broadcaster.I have spent the last few years honing my craft with a qualification in Radio Production and Presentation from Tralee Community College.